Benson & Hedges Cup: Harvey smooths the way

By David Green at Bristol

8:23PM BST 05 May 2002

Gloucestershire (270-7) bt Somerset (231) by 39 runs

THOUGH Gloucestershire's winning margin looked comfortable enough, they were given a nasty fright when Rob Turner and Keith Dutch, who came together when Somerset were sagging at 142 for six, added 86 runs off only 54 balls.

Gold award winner Ian Harvey, who had accounted for Matthew Wood and Jamie Cox in his first spell, was then brought back with Somerset needing 48 off 42 balls, a task easily within reach at the rate they were scoring.

However, Harvey's clever changes of pace have frequently wreaked havoc in the later stages of an innings and, having dismissed Dutch lbw with a slower one, he gained two further leg-before decisions to finish with five for 20.

In Gloucestershire's four Benson and Hedges games this season Harvey has taken 16 wickets for 83 runs in 33.5 overs, which means a wicket every two overs at less than 2.5 runs per over.

After Harvey's early breakthrough - both his victims lbw like his last three - Marcus Trescothick, with 47, and Michael Burns (61) played well enough but were falling behind the clock when Trescothick, feeling the pressure, skied to extra cover.

Neither Keith Parsons nor Ian Blackwell settled and when Burns - who hit four fours and a six - struck one back to Jeremy Snape, Somerset looked out of it. Turner and Dutch, though, saw things differently, Turner hitting John Lewis for four consecutive boundaries to change the match's complexion.

Dutch scored even faster than his partner, his 45 coming off 30 balls with four fours and a six. Turner's 36 came from 31 balls.

Earlier Gloucestershire survived a mid-innings stutter from 67 for one to 117 for four thanks to Kim Barnett, whose patient 67 ended with a slog at Blackwell.

Mark Alleyne (47) took over the anchor role and, with Snape and Martyn Ball scoring rapidly, Gloucestershire posted a total severe enough to preserve their 100 per cent competition record.